Of Air and Water
by Lady Date
Summary: Seto is a mermaid prince, who has a love of a place he's never seen, the surface. With his stepmother looming over he and his brother's furtues, can he find true love in an unfamiliar place? Seto x ?


Of Air and Water 

    Seto swam gracefully through the kelp beds. It was a bright and beautiful day. Seto didn't have a care in the world as he rapped himself in the seaweed. He looked up at where the ocean met the air. "I wonder what's up there?" he asked himself. His short, boyish brown hair wafted gently in the water current, and his blue eyes gazing up lovingly. He stared at the bright yellow ball shown though, despite the murky depths. That's when he got an idea. He would go up to the surface. It was a simple plan; he would just swim up there. Then a shadow passes over his bright ball. He for got about the sharks. His stepmother had placed the sharks there as guards to keep the air breathers away and to keep the merpeople in. 

       He twirled around until he was free of the seaweed. Then with burst of speed he raced toward the surface. As he sped along he could see the small sharks at the bottom get larger and larger as he neared the surface. He was ten feet from the surface when he hit something white and slightly squishy. He had hit it with so much force, that it had knocked his back a couple feet. Shaking his head to get rid of the daze, he looked up to see a huge female Great White Shark. "Oh, Whitey!" Seto whined.

       "Sorry, kid" The shark laughed. Whitey was Seto's best friend, and, despite her size, she was fairly young. "But you know the rules."

       "Yeah," Seto continues to whine, "but why aren't we aloud near the surface?" Whitey nodded at another Great White and started to descend with Seto. 

       "Well, for starters," Whitey looked thoughtful for a moment, "Some of the air breathers are dangerous."

       "Really?" Seto asked wide-eyed. He was so interested with the surface that any information was valuable to him.

       "Yeah, the ones with two leg. They eat sea creatures." 

       "How awful!" Seto gasped.

       "Yeah, and they dump all kinds of stuff in the water close to shore."

       "Do they all do that?"

       "Oh no, the young one are friendly and curious, a lot like you. And some of the older ones also care about what happens to us."

       "So they aren't all bad."

       "Certainly not. Do you remember the flying creatures we saw dive into the water?"

       "The ones with the funny scales?"

       "Yes, those. Well they have two legs and they aren't dangerous."

       "I know *they* aren't dangerous. They're silly."

       "I think you'll find this interesting. I've been seeing a new creature just above on the surface." Seto scooted as close to Whitey as possible, his eyes were wide with fascination. 

       "Really?" Whitey nodded. "What did it look like? Did it have scales? Was it dangerous? What does it eat?" Whitey laughed at Seto enthusiasm.

       "Whoa! Slow down! One question at a time please," Seto sat patiently. "For starts I've only seen it twice. And I didn't get very good look, either time. Well from what I could tell it looked liked the dangerous two legs, with the flippers of a diving two leg on it back." Seto sat down nestled with the kelp bed and yawned. White smiled. "Why don't you get some rest? After all, your big ceremony is in a few hours. And I'll tell you a secret." Seto leaned in close. "You'll get to go to the surface. But only this once."

       "How do you," yawn, "know?"

       "I'm your escort. So maybe we'll get to see the creature, and get a good look at it. Now, go to sleep," Seto curled into a ball in the kelp and fell asleep. He dreamed of surface air, and creatures he could hardly begin to imagine.

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       Seto woke with a start. He hard fallen asleep in the kelp bed, but he wasn't there now. He looked around. He was in his room, in the palace. He sighed. There was a knock at his and meek little mer-boy stuck his head in the doorway. He had blue eyes like Seto, and his hair was a mass of black strands.

       "You coronation is in an hour, big sister," he said timidly.

       "Come hear, Mokuba," Seto called to his little brother. He swam to him and gave him a hug. He cried in his arms. "It's okay. Don't cry. Father died protecting us, so don't cry okay." Seto smiled despite himself. He like crying too, but he had to be strong for his little brother, and to get their stepmother back for what she did. Seto could feel his blood boil when he thought about what his stepmother did. Seto knew that their stepmother had wanted their father dead, so she could get the crown. But she didn't count on the law passed by their father, just before he died. The law stated that if the king dies, the most capable child of his children, oldest or youngest, male or female, would take the throne. Seto smiled at this. Once he was king he would banish his stepmother to the north, where the water was icy cold. "Don't cry any more okay. I'll make sure she pays for what she did." The little mer-boy smiled at his sister. "Come on, let's play a game before the coronation." Just as the two were about to play, the Queen, their stepmother, entered the room.

       "There is no time for play," she said coldly. "You," she pointed at Seto, "have to get ready for the ceremony. And mind you Seto, that once you become king you have a year to find a husband and produce children before I take your place." Seto had forgotten about that part of the law. Seto would have no trouble finding a husband, but it went against every moral bone in his body. He hated the thought of marrying out side of love, and his stepmother knew that. She was the one that had talked his father into putting that part of the law in, for she knew that if something happened to Seto's father everything would fall on to Seto.

       "Very well," Seto said in a dignified manner. This made his step mother seethe with anger. Seto leaned down to Mokuba and whispered, "We'll play later." With that he gentle pushed the little boy out of the room. "Will you please leave?" Set asked his stepmother, pointing at the door. 

       "Seto," She said with a weird purring voice. "Let's settle this once and for all. I know you're angry with me about your father's death." His Stepmother wrapped her arms around Seto's shoulders. Seto raised an eyebrow at this, but made no move. "Why don't we make amends?" Seto pulled away from the mermaid and over to his dresser. He began to look though a box of jewels, trying to pick the best ones to where. 

       "Please leave," Seto said dull, there was no emotion or even life in his voice. "I need to get ready in peace." His stepmother gritted her teeth slightly at this, but left. Seto let his head hang above the dresser. He looked at a portrait on his wall. "What would you do mother? Father?" he said to it. "What would you do if you were in my place?" Going over to the picture, he ran his hand over it lovingly. Then he looked hard at the picture once then with delight swam over to his dresser and began to dig though the many scarves, and jewelry until he found a small box. After spending some time trying to open it, he pulled out pearl two pearl chains and two pearl bracelets. Seto smiled. "If I'm going to be a king, I'm going to do it look, and acting right."

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  To Be Continued…


End file.
